Easthampton waiting for communication issues to be resolved between solar array, electric substation

EASTHAMPTON – The days are getting longer yet the city is unable to take tap the power of the sun because of a communication problem between the Oliver Street landfill solar array and the electric substation on Gunn Street.

The engineers are trying to figure out how they would be able to cut the power from the solar array to the substation in an emergency. Until they do, the panels are producing electricity but aren’t tied into the grid.

“This is part of the pitfalls (of being) early in the technology,” said Mayor Michael A. Tautznik. “These are some of the glitches you’re not going to run into (later on.)”

The array was the first such project under construction in the state. The 2.3-megawatt installation is also the largest of those planned and is expected to save residents $1.5 million on power over 10 years.

Tautznik said the array was expected to save the city $84,000 in electricity costs this fiscal year but they won’t know until it becomes operational. “The system needs to be safe, it’s frustrating to wait.”

He said work on the array was completed in December. State officials toured the project in October.

But in an emergency such as a car hitting a utility pole, power has to be shut off instantly and until that can happen the power is not going to be connected to the city’s electrical system, he said.

Engineers from Verizon and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. are tying to determine what kind of wiring can be used between the two, whether the copper can be used or the communication has to happen over a fiber optic cable, Tautznik said. He does not know when it can be resolved.